Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Theater and Film/Video

While I'm waiting for the washer to finish, I thought I'd post some links on theater, performance, and film/video.  Some may consider film/video to be, at best, a necessary evil for classrooms as theater is intended to be performed LIVE.  Others, though, may see film/video as an opportunity to see the best possible actors, directors, stage design, and costumes.  And, as you will see in this link about a 2003 modern-dress performance of Henry V, videos are sometimes part of the performance:

http://www.stagework.org.uk/webdav/harmonise@Page%252F@id=6007&Section%252F@id=372.html

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/may/14/theatre.artsfeatures2


I have also seen a production of Current Nobody that used video as well:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/05/AR2007110502017.html

http://www.theatermania.com/washington-dc-theater/reviews/11-2007/current-nobody_11995.html


Ah, but let's go back to the question of how one may watch theater!  Here are some articles from The Guardian's Theatre blog:

Lois Peary reports on the UK's National Video Archive of Perfomance.

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/apr/02/taped-theatre-live-recorded-jerusalem?guni=Article:in%20body%20link

Here is a link to the archive itself:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/nvap/

Matt Trueman discusses a video of a specific play based on a historical incident:

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/aug/01/kursk-filmed-theatre-performance

Lyn Gardner discusses digital technology in general:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2013/aug/19/digital-technology-help-theatre

I wonder if the UK's Punchdrunk Theatre Company was inspired by the need to be worth the trip to the theater.  (This company presents "immersive" theater where you explore the play as you would explore a haunted house come Halloween.)
http://punchdrunk.com/current-shows

http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/theater/in-london-punchdrunks-drowned-man-has-audiences-roaming.html?_r=0

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2013/jul/19/punchrunk-hype-drowned-man-lyn-gardner




This is not about technology, but I thought that you might find this entry on whether the playwright should have the final say on a play to be interesting:

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2013/jul/25/playwright-final-say-theatre-production

I wonder what Ibsen would have said about Mabou Mines' production of A Doll House as he was very much interested in realism.


2 comments:

Cassandra said...

I'm interested in interactive theater, which is is advancing more as technology is advancing more. New Paradise Laboratories in Philadelphia is one such experimental theater. Check them out!

Marianne Szlyk said...

Thanks! At some point my husband and I will go to Philadelphia.